Nod to The Legend · The engineers · 1925–2002
Tom Dowd
Atlantic Records engineer
Dowd pushed Atlantic onto 8-track tape early and swapped the console's round knobs for sliding faders so he could ride many channels at once with his hands. He recorded Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Coltrane.
Still heard: Every fader you've ever pushed is his idea.
Related legends
- The Ludwigs and the Drum Kit: William F. and Theobald Ludwig
- Laurens Hammond: Inventor of the Hammond organ
- Don Leslie: Inventor of the rotating speaker
- Bartolomeo Cristofori: Inventor of the piano, Florence
- Jack L. Cooper: Pioneering Black radio DJ, Chicago
- Bill Putnam: Engineer, studio builder, father of the modern console